A breakdown of the NASM expert review on five proven endurance supplements, detailing dosing protocols, risks, and strategic use for veteran athletes.
Caffeine may improve endurance performance by approximately 2 to 3 percent in clinical settings. That single data point often represents the crucial gap between a personal best and a frustrating race day. Yet many ambitious athletes chase this small margin incorrectly by consuming unproven supplement blends.
Ergogenic aids are targeted nutritional compounds that provide a verifiable physiological advantage during athletic efforts. On August 18, 2026, Men’s Fitness published an article summarizing a National Academy of Sports Medicine expert panel review. This narrative review identified exactly five supplements with substantial evidence supporting their use. The highlighted compounds include caffeine, sodium bicarbonate, and creatine.
The panel also cited beta alanine and dietary nitrates. Athletes often view endurance supplements as a homogeneous category of general performance enhancers. The NASM guidance completely rejects this generalized approach to sports nutrition. The central message is that these five ingredients are absolutely not interchangeable.
Each compound serves a highly specific metabolic function under particular physical conditions. Reendure readers must evaluate these tools based on distinct event demands rather than blindly mixing them together. Understanding how each compound operates within the body is the first step toward effective supplementation. You cannot apply a sprint focused ingredient to a marathon and expect positive results.
A 2018 British Journal of Sports Medicine review confirms these distinct applications for high performance athletes. That review specifically identifies caffeine, creatine monohydrate, and nitrate as relevant tools. It also notes sodium bicarbonate and possibly beta alanine. The physical mechanisms dictate exactly when and how each supplement should be deployed.
Caffeine functions primarily as a central nervous system stimulant to delay perceived fatigue. It is positioned predominantly for endurance improvements, reaction time, and heightened mental focus. The accepted protocol sits at 3 to 6 milligrams per kilogram of body mass. Athletes should consume this dose approximately 60 minutes before their exercise session begins.
Translating this protocol into practical application requires basic math based on your body weight. For a 70 kilogram athlete, the 3 to 6 mg/kg range equals approximately 210 to 420 mg of caffeine. Athletes must calculate their total intake across coffee, energy gels, and dedicated supplements. Using caffeine for endurance performance effectively requires precision rather than guesswork.
The evidence for strength athletes remains decidedly mixed.
Sodium bicarbonate operates as an extracellular buffer in the bloodstream during intense physical stress. It works by delaying fatigue associated with acid accumulation during short and high intensity exercise. The standard recommendation is 0.2 to 0.3 g/kg taken 60 to 180 minutes before the training effort. The British Journal of Sports Medicine review similarly lists 0.2 to 0.4 g/kg taken approximately 60 to 150 minutes before exercise.
This compound is highly specific to acute physical demands rather than long aerobic efforts. It provides targeted support for athletes executing track intervals, steep hill climbs, or aggressive race finishes. However, its performance window is narrow and requires precise timing to be effective.
Beta alanine approaches acid buffering from inside the muscle fibers rather than the bloodstream. It combines with histidine in the body to form a dipeptide called carnosine. Carnosine helps buffer hydrogen ions directly inside muscle fibers during high intensity exercise. The article places its best use in repeated efforts lasting approximately one to four minutes.
This timeframe perfectly matches swimming, rowing, and middle distance running. Unlike acute pre workout stimulants, beta alanine requires a sustained loading protocol to build up tissue saturation. Athletes generally need a daily dose of 3.2 to 6.4 g for about four weeks to experience tangible benefits.
Creatine supports the rapid regeneration of cellular ATP during explosive movements. It is positioned primarily for strength, power, repeated sprinting, and muscle mass development. The Men’s Fitness article outlines two distinct protocols for integrating this compound into your routine. The first is a loading approach of 20 g/day for five to seven days followed by a 3 to 5 g/day maintenance dose.
The second option is a simpler 3 to 5 g/day approach that takes longer to saturate muscle stores. This steady approach avoids the initial loading phase entirely while achieving the same eventual cellular saturation. It is crucial to understand that creatine is not a conventional endurance performance enhancer. It holds very little value for steady state distance running or continuous aerobic swimming.
Dietary nitrates are frequently consumed in the form of concentrated beetroot juice. These compounds support vasodilation in the body. This process improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to exercising muscle. The article notes that nitrates are best suited for continuous high intensity efforts.
The data shows they are particularly effective for recreational or moderately trained athletes rather than elite professionals.
The National Institutes of Health provides a broader review that contextualizes the NASM guidance. The NIH review presents caffeine as the most broadly applicable option for endurance exercise. However, the results demonstrate why athletes should never expect a guaranteed physiological improvement. The NIH cited a review of time trials across various endurance sports.
In these studies, individual performance variations were massive. Out of 33 trials, 30 showed some positive performance improvement. Crucially, that improvement was statistically significant in only half of the documented trials. The measured outcomes ranged from a 0.7 percent decrease in performance to a 17.3 percent increase.
The NIH explicitly warns against taking caffeine beyond the 2 to 6 mg/kg range. Doing so is unlikely to improve performance further and increases severe side effect risks. These adverse effects include insomnia, restlessness, and nausea. Athletes might also experience tachycardia, arrhythmia, and severe anxiety.
The NIH review clarifies that beetroot juice helps recreationally active nonathletes more consistently than elites. Not every study has found a measurable benefit from nitrate supplementation. Most of the successful beetroot studies utilized approximately 500 ml of juice per serving. This translates to about two cups.
Athletes generally consume this amount 2.5 to 3 hours before exercise or daily for up to 15 days. This specific volume supplied roughly 310 to 682 mg of nitrate depending on the product used. Beta alanine data also carries important caveats within the broader scientific literature. The NIH reports that beta alanine evidence is conflicting across different athletic disciplines.
Studies show little or no benefit in continuous aerobic activities lasting more than 10 minutes. Furthermore, there is absolutely no safety data available for continuous use extending beyond one year. The International Society of Sports Nutrition concludes that an initial loading phase is necessary for tangible benefits. They recommend 4 to 6 g/day for at least two to four weeks.
Ambitious adults aged 35 to 65 face unique physiological variables compared to younger competitors. The available evidence is frequently based on controlled performance tests featuring young adults. Older athletes must carefully weigh the systemic stress of these supplements against their restorative needs. Supplementation should always support your broader goals of balancing performance and longevity.
Consider the aggressive sodium load associated with standard sodium bicarbonate protocols. At a 0.3 g/kg dose, a 70 kilogram athlete would consume approximately 21 g of sodium bicarbonate. This serving size delivers an astonishing 5,750 mg of sodium directly into the system. An aging athlete managing blood pressure or cardiovascular health must approach this immense mineral influx with caution.
The gastrointestinal burden can easily overwhelm the potential buffering benefits during a race. Caffeine dosing also demands strict moderation for veterans who prioritize their recovery metrics. The Men’s Fitness article explicitly calls 6 mg/kg a high amount for the average person. Sacrificing deep restorative sleep for a marginal morning training boost is a counterproductive trade.
Athletes who train or race early in the morning should evaluate whether pre event stimulants will impair sleep later. Creatine introduces physical variables that masters athletes must manage carefully. The compound often causes water retention. This leads directly to an increase in overall body weight.
This added body mass might aid a cyclist pushing raw wattage. However, it can severely disadvantage a marathon runner. You must evaluate whether the strength benefits justify the compromised running economy.
You must establish strict testing protocols before introducing any of these ingredients into a competitive environment. The primary rule is to trial only one isolated ingredient at a time during ordinary training blocks. This disciplined approach allows you to distinguish real performance changes from placebo effects. Testing a single variable also helps you immediately identify the source of any adverse physical reactions.
Isolating variables is a core tenet of our training and performance strategies. Sodium bicarbonate requires the most rigorous tolerance testing among the highlighted compounds. The Men’s Fitness summary advises starting with a lower dose because gastrointestinal distress is incredibly common. Athletes frequently report crippling side effects like nausea and stomach pain.
Diarrhea and vomiting are also commonly documented. You should map your personal tolerance during low stakes interval sessions well before race day. Beta alanine testing requires you to monitor a unique sensory side effect called paresthesia. This harmless but distracting tingling sensation is closely associated with larger individual doses.
You can manage this uncomfortable response by breaking your daily requirement into smaller divided doses. Remember that this compound takes about four weeks to build up in your system. Finally, dietary nitrates present a distinct challenge for standardized field testing. The article omits a consumer friendly nitrate dose because the underlying review expressed dosage in millimoles.
Furthermore, the actual nitrate content varies wildly between different commercial beetroot products. You must select one specific brand with a clearly stated nitrate amount for your personal trials. This consistency ensures your body receives the same vasodilation support during both training and racing. Athletes too often view sports nutrition as an arms race of combined powders.
That elusive 2 to 3 percent endurance advantage is only realized when you stop treating supplements as universal solutions and start deploying them as precise physiological tools.
Follow ReEndure for practical insights on endurance training, recovery, nutrition and healthy aging. Stay connected for new articles, research led guidance and ideas to help you perform better for longer.
Read practical ideas on endurance training, recovery, nutrition and healthy aging to keep progressing for years to come.
Read the Blog